Our History

In 1986, Summit founder Mark Stutrud set out to rediscover the traditional brewing methods behind the great handcrafted beers that once flowed throughout the Midwest. Ever since, we’ve been painstakingly brewing beer as stimulating, complex and rich in character as the people who share it.

1986

“A long hard road”

When Mark Stutrud decided to forego getting his Masters in social work to start a brewery, he knew he was undertaking a risky endeavor. This letter he received from the Brewer’s Association served as a crisp reminder. But Mark perservered, naming his new brewery after Saint Paul’s legendary Summit Avenue (Stutrud is too hard to pronounce) and he was on his way. The letter is now proudly displayed in the brewery’s Ratskeller.

1986

Humble beginnings

Summit Brewing Company remodels the space of an old truck parts company on St. Paul’s University Avenue. We install a brewhouse from Heimertingen, Germany, and begin test brewing. After much experimentation, we proudly release our EPA and Great Northern Porter – in kegs only.

1987

Early success

Great Northern Porter wins first place at the Great American Beer Festival®. We begin bottling in the fall and introduce our first seasonal, Summit Christmas Ale.

1988

The experimentation continues

Summit Sparkling Ale is first brewed, the area’s first blonde ale.

1989

Summit Sparkling Ale Wins Bronze

Summit Sparkling Ale wins the Bronze medal for Blonde Ales at the Great American Beer Fest.

1989

Why stop at 12 ounces?

Summit Maibock is introduced in 22 ounce bomber bottles.

1991

Roll out the barrels

We complete our first major expansion, increasing capacity from 5,000 to 12,000 barrels per year.

1993

The more, the merrier

Summit introduces Hefe Weizen, India Pale Ale and Altbier. The brewery leases an adjacent building and installs the “beer pipeline” connecting it to the original building. Annual capacity reaches 16,000 barrels.

1995

How do you say “growing pains” in German?

Summit purchases a copper brewhouse from Hürnerbräu, Ansbach, Bavaria, and places it in storage for two years. As a search for a new brewery site begins, capacity on University Ave increases to 34,000 barrels.

1996

Breaking new ground

Summit purchases 4.2 acres in the Crosby Lake Business Park in Saint Paul. Groundbreaking takes place in July of the following year as keeping up with demand becomes increasingly difficult.

1998

Summit on the move

Test brewing begins at the new brewery location with total transition completed by December.

1999

The little brewery that could

Summit Brewing reaches one percent market share of all beer sold in Minnesota. Woo-hoo!

2000

Entrepreneurial spirit

Mark Stutrud is honored to be named a Finalist for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year as well as North Dakota Business Innovator of the Year (Mark’s home state).

2001

Bohemia meets Bavaria

We introduce our take on two other traditional styles: a true Czech Pilsener and Märzen-style Oktoberfest.

2002

An 8,000 mile beer run

The Summit “Good Will Beer Tour” travels to the UK and Germany to share our brews with the most discerning beer drinkers in the world. We share pints, swap stories and hear what they have to say about Summit – recording it all for beer lovers back home. Listen below.

2003

Summit Oktoberfest Wins Bronze Medal

Summit Oktoberfest, a new seasonal for Summit, wins the Bronze medal for “Other Strong Ale or Lager” at the Great American Beer Fest.

2003

More Summit on tap

The brewery introduces special limited release beers, beginning with Oatmeal Stout followed by ESB and Scandia, a Belgian Style Wheat.

2004

Local honors

Summit receives the Duebener Award from the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. This award recognizes organizations that exemplify growth, excellence, risk, diversity and innovation. All things we heartily embrace at Summit.

Summit Extra Pale Ale Wins Bronze

Summit Extra Pale Ale is awarded the Bronze medal for English-Style Pale Ales at the Great American Beer Fest.

2008

Summit Extra Pale Ale Again Wins Bronze

Summit Extra Pale Ale is awarded the Bronze medal for English-Style Pale Ales at the Great American Beer Fest for the second consecutive year.

2008

This one’s for you, Herb

Summit is honored to receive the HERBIE Award, inspired by Saint Paul native and hockey legend Herb Brooks, from the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. HERBIE stands for Humanitarian, Enterprising, Resilient, Bold, Inspirational and Ethical. The award is given to a local individual or company that demonstrates those qualities through significant public service and dedication to the community.

2009

The year of brewing boldly

Summit introduces Horizon Red Ale, an intensely aromatic cross between an IPA and Amber ale. We also launch the Unchained Series, limited release batches designed to showcase our individual brewers’ skills and creativity. The first is a German Style Kölsch from brewer Mike Miziorko, followed by a 90/- Scottish Style Ale from brewer Eric Blomquist.

2010

Bronze beer, gold medal

Extra Pale Ale wins a gold medal in the Classic English-Style Pale Ale category at the 2010 World Beer Cup® and a silver medal in the same category at the Great American Beer Festival®. The Unchained Series kicks into high gear with an India Style Rye Ale from brewer Mike Lundell, a Belgian Style Golden Ale from brewer Eric Harper, and an Imperial Pumpkin Porter from brewer Nate Siats.

2011

Skol to a quarter century!

Summit celebrates its 25th anniversary. Here’s to everyone who has clinked pints, bought rounds, showed support, extended praise, offered critiques, joined us on the town, stayed late, and shared their passion for great beer with us over the years. Cheers! Summit brewers also bring forth three distinct Unchained Series batches; Gold Sovereign Ale, Honeymoon Saison, and Black Ale.

2011

First annual Summit Backyard Bash

To help celebrate 25 years of brewing, we host our first annual Backyard Bash on the lawn behind the brewery. Not only is it a chance to enjoy the trifecta of local bands, local food trucks and local beers, but it’s also for a good cause. 50% of ticket proceeds go to the Minnesota Music Coalition, a non-profit dedicated to supporting our state’s creative community of independent musicians.

2012

We’ll drink to that!

Summit is honored to pick up a pair of prestigious brewing awards: EPA wins Silver at the 2012 World Beer Cup® for Classic English-Style Pale Ale and Pilsener gets a Silver at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival® for Bohemian-Style Pilsener.

2012

Sága IPA and Summer Ale

Named after the Norse goddess of poetry, Summit unveils Sága IPA to the hop-loving public. We also add Summer Ale, a refreshing new seasonal, to our growing line-up.

The creativity keeps flowing

A nice place to work

Summit is named a Top 10 Workplace by Star Tribune and receives a Small Business Success honor from Twin Cities Business Monthly. Giving us another convenient excuse to clink a few pints.

2012

You keep drinking, we’ll keep brewing

In February 2013, we debut a brand new logo. Then increased demand from thirsty beer lovers calls for another expansion. In June 2013, we add 7,632 square feet of cellar space with twelve 600-barrel fermentation vessels, increasing our production capacity to 240,000 barrels a year. Summit also buys property next to the brewery, unfurling plans for our first-ever canning operation.

2013

By jove, another Silver medal!

Summit wins Silver at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival® for our original British-style India Pale Ale (soon to be called True Brit IPA) in the Extra Special Bitter category. We also unveil Meridian Session Ale and Rebellion Stout from the Union Series, a new series featuring the latest hop and malt varieties from around the world. And the Unchained Series keeps rolling with 100% Organic Ale, Another IPA, and Bière de Garde.

2013

Part of the community

Summit proudly receives the Minnesota Keystone award from the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, recognizing companies donating at least 2 percent of their pre-tax earnings to their local community. We are also honored to receive the Minnesota Restaurant Associations Allied Partner of the Year award. Cheers!

2014

New packaging debuts

Working with local design firm Duffy & Partners, Summit unveils new packaging. “Innovation is part of our DNA,” says founder Mark Stutrud. “This change reflects our creativity, celebrates our commitment to the values of local craft brewing, and honors the community we come from.”

2014

Summit Silver-peat

Summit EPA wins another Silver at the 2014 World Beer Cup® in the Classic English-Style Pale Ale category (we won the same honor at the last competition in 2012). We also take home the Bronze at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival® in the Classic English-Style Pale Ale category. Cheers to our flagship!

2014

New Unchained and Union Series brews

The popular brewer-driven Summit Unchained Series keeps flowing with #15 Fest Bier, #16 Herkulean Woods and #17 Harvest Fresh IPA. Summit also introduces the next limited-release brews in the Union Series: Southern Cape Sparkling Ale (one of Draft Magazine’s Top 25 Beers of the Year) and 3X Mild Ale.

2014

Summit in cans!

For the first time ever, Summit EPA, Sága IPA and seasonal brews are available in 12-ounce cans. To accomplish this, the brewery expands across the “backyard”, building an elevated beer pipeline to the new canning facility.

2015

Everything is coming up hops!

Summit introduces two intensely hoppy, yet very different brews in short order. First, Summit brewer Eric Harper creates Unchained 18: Hop Silo Double IPA. This limited-edition brew is quickly followed by Hopvale Organic Ale, a new year-round session ale brewed with organic hops, malts and a touch of lemon peel.

2015

New office space (and drinking space)

Summit moves its offices across the backyard to the renovated building that houses the new canning line. Along with some much needed elbow room, the space includes a new industry meeting room complete with several taps and a custom bar made from reclaimed wood by the craftsmen at Wood From The Hood.

2016

Summit Extra Pale Ale Wins Gold!

Summit Extra Pale Ale wins the Gold Medal for Classic English-Style Pale Ales at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival® in Denver, Colorado.

2016

30 Years of Excellent Craft Beer

Summit Brewing Company celebrates its 30th Anniversary in 2016 with a series of four limited-edition beers, including Double IPA, Keller Pils, West London-Style Ale, and Barleywine. Summit caps off the anniversary celebration with September’s Backyard Bash, headlined by one of Mark Stutrud’s favorite musicians — iconic rocker Bob Mould.

2017

Summit Launches a Renovation of the Beer Hall

Supervised by Chief Knucklehead, Founder and President Mark Stutrud, Summit begins a months-long renovation of the Beer Hall, aiming to make the space more visible and comfortable for the public.

2017

Summit Extra Pale Ale Wins Again!

Summit Extra Pale Ale wins the Silver Medal for Classic English-Style Pale Ales at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival® in Denver, Colorado. This is EPA’s sixth GABF medal since 2007.

Summit Keller Pils Wins Big!

Summit Keller Pils, our traditional and unfiltered German-style Pils, wins the bronze medal for kellerbiers at the 2018 World Beer Cup, just months after joining our year-round lineup. Later in 2018, Summit Keller Pils wins the Gold medal for kellerbiers at the Great American Beer Fest. We’ll drink to that!